4of 9The Gold, the Bad and the Ugly is a new cocktail being served at B& Butchers & Restaurant made with edible gold form DR Delicacy, a Houston gourmet foods purveyor. The drink will be served March 1-11 at B& Butchers.Photo: Bonner Rhoden

8of 9Chef Hugo Ortega and restaurateur Tracy Vaught of H Town Restaurant Group will open Xochi, a new restaurant in the Marriott Marquis Houston in January 2017. Xochi's menu will focus on the food and drink of Oaxaca, Mexico. Shown: Tlayuda.Photo: Paula Murphy

Martin Stayer, who has experience at Michelin-star restaurants in Chicago, began his culinary career in Houston working with Scott Tycer at the late Aries. Now he's back as executive chef at Nobie's, a new 57-seat restaurant in the 1930s bungalow that formerly housed Au Petit Paris.

The restaurant is named for Stayer's grandmother; diners will see a portrait of Nobie upon entering the space. "I want guests to feel like they have walked into a family member's home, and I think we have accomplished that with the design, which meshes vintage, new and repurposed elements," the chef said.

Agu Ramen is opening three more Houston-area locations this spring. Outposts at 2130 Lone Star in Sugar Land and 510 S. Mason in Katy are scheduled to debut in mid-March, with a new store at 1360 NASA Parkway in Nassau Bay arriving in April. The Hawaii-born chain already has three existing ramen shops here (1809 Eldridge, 9310 Westheimer and 7340 Washington), and chef/owner Hisashi Uehara plans to expand even further later this year.

Steakhouse serves gold standard cocktail

B&B Butchers & Restaurant, 1814 Washington, is shaking up a new, $14 limited-edition cocktail called The Gold, the Bad and the Ugly through Saturday. Created by bar manager Jeremiah Butler, it utilizes Houston-based gourmet food purveyor DR Delicacy's new line of edible gold. The drink is a mix of Maker's Mark 46, Cynar (an Italian aperitif) and orange bitters that is poured into a martini glass rimmed with gold crumbs and garnished with a gold flake-dusted Morello cherry from France.

Meatless Friday options around town

The Lenten season brings an emphasis on seafood and fish dishes throughout the Houston restaurant scene.

Hugo Ortega's new Oaxaca-inspired Xochi restaurant, 1777 Walker in the Marriott Marquis, is now serving Sunday brunch. In keeping up with sister restaurants Backstreet Café, Hugo's and Caracol - all of which offer indulgent weekend brunches - Xochi's Sunday buffet (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) features breakfast and lunch items from egg dishes to seafood to grilled meats, along with a table dedicated to desserts. Price: $34 per person not including tax and gratuity; $12 for ages 12 and younger.

Cooking class teaches whole enchilada

Sylvia Casares, "The Enchilada Queen Cookbook" author and chef/owner of Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen restaurants, is hosting a cooking class 1-4 p.m. Saturday. Beef enchiladas, crab enchiladas and West Texas-style enchiladas will be covered in the class. Cost: $64 per person, including meal. Register at sylviasenchiladas.com or call 713-334-7295; the class will be held at the restaurant at 1140 Eldridge Parkway. Casares' March 25 class will focus on Tex-Mex breakfasts.

Greg Morago was a features editor and reporter for The Hartford Courant for 25 years before joining the Houston Chronicle as food editor in 2009. He writes about food, restaurants, spirits, travel, fashion and beauty. He is a native Arizonan and member of the Pima tribe of the Gila River Indian Community.